STLFD Two Apparatus Crash 8 Injured

[todd3603]

St Louis News agencies reporting two STLFD quints crashed enroute to a first alarm. Initial reports indicate 8 firefighter injuries. Keep these guys in your prayers, hopefully injuries are not serious

http://www.myfoxstl.com/myfox/

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story...157215&catid=3

http://www.kmov.com/

UPDATE: Report updated, no injuries appear life threatning. Great news.

[Dickey]

Great news no one is seriously injured.

Hoping for a speeding recovery and no Monday morning quarterbacking.

[fieldseng2]

Everyone is gonna be OK....

can somebody tell me how to send a correction to firehouse.com?

The actual companies involved were Engine 10 and Engine 28 (riding on reserve reserve engine 122...formerly E22)....As you know E28 is my company, and I know everyone of those guys involved.

I'm on my 4 day and went to the accident site when I heard about it during a local traffic report on the radio. Pretty freaky when I saw the condition of the driver side jump seat area...which is normally where I ride. Even stranger, I was actually trying to call the guy who was riding that spot about the time this happened. Tried Calling my buddy on the H&L from our house..he didn't answer so I just figured they were at a fire....little did I know....

[engine13A]

good to hear everyone is gonna be ok..hope they're back to work soon!!!

[ffmedcbk1]

Amazing that they are doing ok. Thank God.

Praying for them.

[mcaldwell]

This Liveleak footage appears to show the collision from a security camera.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=08b_1223763849

Pretty nasty. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.

[ScareCrow57]

Looks like the guy pulling out from the left failed to use do regard.

[jlcooke3]

Looks like the guy pulling out from the left failed to use do regard.

Wow!!! You've managed to complete the investigation based on 5 seconds of video footage that shows only one angle of the accident. Amazing.

Here's to hoping the guys are OK and to a speedy recovery.

[ScareCrow57]

Wow!!! You've managed to complete the investigation based on 5 seconds of video footage that shows only one angle of the accident. Amazing.

Here's to hoping the guys are OK and to a speedy recovery.

Take it and learn from it. May there not be another one.

[jlcooke3]

Take it and learn from it. May there not be another one.

I did. What I didn't do is rush to judgment.

[nameless]

how'd you tell that, I can't even see a stop sign or traffic light in the video.


glad no one got seriously injured and hope they are all back to 100% soon

[LaFireEducator]

What I saw on the video:

2 pieces of fire apparatus.

An intersection, which in all likleyhood had a traffic control device in one direction.

Apparatus 1 did not stop or slow down.

Apparatus 2 did not stop or slow down.

Conclusion based on the above observations:

If there was a traffic control device for one of the drivers, which is likely, he/she failed to obey it and yield, by law to the other apparatus.

In the unlikely even that there was not a traffic control device for one of the drivers, in all likleyhood a department the size of the SLFD has an intersection managing procedure dicating who stops and who goes through the intersection first. if that was the case, one of the driver's dodn't follow it.

Hell even my current and lasst podunk FDs has/had a very clear intersection management policy for apparatus/apparatus right of way.

I guess I'm not afraid to sugarcoat this bull**** and say right out that someone was wrong and someone needs to be suspended without pay or fired for voliating the law, or at the least, a likley department policy.

[JohnVBFD]

Awesome.

The two gutless cowards weighed in.

I'll tend to side with the Brother who's assigned to the companies.

[ScareCrow57]

Tell you what, I will side with the 6 or 7 fire fighters who got hurt because of poor driving by one or two drivers. St. Louis firetrucks collide rushing to blaze

...Buildings at the intersection, which has electric signals, make it difficult to see around the corners. Police said one truck was headed north on Taylor and the other east on King.

Officials say it is always hard for the driver of an emergency vehicle at a blind corner to hear another's siren and air horns over the sound of his own.

Jenkerson said the department policy is to drive cautiously. "We do not 'run' intersections," he said. "If there's a red light, we stop and look both ways and make sure you have a clear intersection to proceed through."

So let's see. There was a traffic signal. Both trucks blew the intersection. Then either both had a green light or someone failed to follow policy and law.

The problem is the whole thing is senseless, could and should have been avoided just by following policy, and at least six (maybe 7) innocent victims were injured.

[fieldseng2]

So let's see. There was a traffic signal. Both trucks blew the intersection. Then either both had a green light or someone failed to follow policy and law.

The problem is the whole thing is senseless, could and should have been avoided just by following policy, and at least six (maybe 7) innocent victims were injured.

I know the crew and drivers of both companies....E28 and E10.....two of THE busiest companies in the city. These two outfits see more fire duty than any other in the city.

the bell rings....." A report of a fire in a building........" Do you know how many times A DAY we (E28) and E10 hear that run come in? It's not like a once a year event for those guys....

I guess you were standing right there when it happened...you watched the whole thing...... so you can say both drivers "blew" the intersection. I know both of those drivers. Neither one of them are reckless drivers...

I can tell you that intersection SUCKS. It really is very hard to see around the corner to see whats coming unless you are in the middle of the intersection....I can remember one day I was driving....responding to a run....traveling east on MLK came to a COMPLETE stop....made sure it was clear....and we still almost got broadsided....I had to take evasive measures so we wouldn't get hit!

But...I wasn't there when it happened....I only know what you read, and what others have told me....

the fire was less than 1/2 a block away....But I cant imagine they were going Warp 5.

I guess you interviewed the drivers too...so you know for a fact they disobeyed policy/law

It's simply amazing.....someone from wherever you are has been able to compile all the facts, evidence, interviews before any of the investigators and staff here can. And we all know the press is always 100% accurate at reporting a story 100% of the time.......

I think before you start pointing fingers at, and slamming people you don't even know..about a situation you really know nothing about...you may want to wait and see what conclusions the investigations bring.

[rpferry]

Fieldseng2, glad your boys are ok and this didn't become a LODD headline. We all know how hard it is driving a rig and the responsibilities involved with that duty. Thanks for sharing what you know regarding the incident and not getting defensive with the Scabs on this site.
-Rob

[ScareCrow57]

I know the crew and drivers of both companies....E28 and E10.....two of THE busiest companies in the city. These two outfits see more fire duty than any other in the city.

the bell rings....." A report of a fire in a building........" Do you know how many times A DAY we (E28) and E10 hear that run come in? It's not like a once a year event for those guys....

I guess you were standing right there when it happened...you watched the whole thing...... so you can say both drivers "blew" the intersection. I know both of those drivers. Neither one of them are reckless drivers...

I can tell you that intersection SUCKS. It really is very hard to see around the corner to see whats coming unless you are in the middle of the intersection....I can remember one day I was driving....responding to a run....traveling east on MLK came to a COMPLETE stop....made sure it was clear....and we still almost got broadsided....I had to take evasive measures so we wouldn't get hit!

But...I wasn't there when it happened....I only know what you read, and what others have told me....

the fire was less than 1/2 a block away....But I cant imagine they were going Warp 5.

I guess you interviewed the drivers too...so you know for a fact they disobeyed policy/law

It's simply amazing.....someone from wherever you are has been able to compile all the facts, evidence, interviews before any of the investigators and staff here can. And we all know the press is always 100% accurate at reporting a story 100% of the time.......

I think before you start pointing fingers at, and slamming people you don't even know..about a situation you really know nothing about...you may want to wait and see what conclusions the investigations bring.

Both rigs were traveling pretty fast, had to be in order to flip one on its side. When I approach an intersection I slow and make sure everyone sees me, then I proceed. Never assume the other driver sees you.

Thankfully, no one got hurt seriously. The taxpayer is out $1,000,000 worth of apparatus.

Perhaps there was a reason one of the trucks didn't slow down (bad breaks??) But if they know the area and know the intersection is bad, they should be slowing down. It's better to be safe than sorry.

I actually didn't say anything until there was visual evidence showing what happened. And like I said before, perhaps both had a green light at the same time.

Take the incident and learn from it.

[fieldseng2]

Both rigs were traveling pretty fast, had to be in order to flip one on its side. When I approach an intersection I slow and make sure everyone sees me, then I proceed. Never assume the other driver sees you.

So you had a radar gun and know exactly how fast both rigs were going...and now you are an accident reconstruction expert. Just how fast does it take to hit a firetruck to get it to tip on its side? I can show you pics of an accident I was in when I was a teenager. It was a low speed (less than 25mph) accident. I had a Le Baron GTS. I was broadsided by a car of similar size. It looked like a H bomb hit it....totally destroyed.

I'm glad to hear you practice safe driving procedures....again you weren't there...you don't know those guys, their skills, or driving practices......but you already have them condemned....you saw 5 seconds of video...you have no idea what the 28's were doing prior to entering the video.......

Things none of us know.....did somebody's brakes malfunction?? we know that never happens, and is ALWAYS the drivers fault right!?! some other kind of apparatus issue maybe?? The 28's were on a reserve over 20 years old. We all know that....no matter how well they are taken care of....old trucks NEVER brake down...especially responding lights n sirens.

What if one or both of the drivers was having some kind of emergency of his own and could not react?? I know NONE of us have ever responded to a MVA were the driver was having some kind of medical emergency like a seizure, MI, or blacked out for some reason. No one has ever had anything fly into their eye and briefly incapacitated them either...

And like I said before, perhaps both had a green light at the same time.

This maybe not all that impossible of a theory. All of our rigs have devices to change the lights at intersections. Maybe for some reason that system malfunctioned. But, just like CFD said in an interview...even if we have a green light...we proceed with caution.

Take the incident and learn from it.

I'll give you this one. But, instead of condemning the drivers as being negligent just by a few seconds of video where you really can't tell how fast they were going...you cant see if the brakes lights were on or not...and have no idea what the 28's were doing prior to entering the picture....why don't we wait until ALL THE FACTS are presented before we fire somebody!

Hang on a sec...I gotta check on something.............yep..... .... how about that...what do ya know......the flag outside...it's still red, white, and blue....something about innocent until proven guilty...hmmm.....I guess not if you're a brother firefighter.....wait...we are a Brotherhood and are supposed to look out for each other???

I don't know how much time you have in this business, where you are on the job at, or what kind of experience you have......and I'm not one to get in a "mines bigger than yours" contest.......I'm sure you are very good at your job, take it seriously and always try to do the right thing.....just like those guys....

but just take a breath and step back a min. How much about this do you really know? A couple of news stories and a short video.

I know that intersection like the back of my hand....as well as the whole terrain. I can pretty much tell you with the typical foot and vehicle traffic, stop signs, controlled intersections, and how both of those rigs handle.....not to mention the fire was at the very next intersection...those guys probably weren't going as fast as you think.....we constantly have people WALK out in front of us....cars pulling out in front of us even blowing intersections in front of us ...even with our lights n sirens.....there are just too many inherent hazards for those guys to be driving recklessly in that area.

What I'm trying to get thru to to is before you crucify them find out all the facts.

[nameless]

I know the crew and drivers of both companies....E28 and E10.....two of THE busiest companies in the city. These two outfits see more fire duty than any other in the city.

the bell rings....." A report of a fire in a building........" Do you know how many times A DAY we (E28) and E10 hear that run come in? It's not like a once a year event for those guys....

hmmm....not this again

[Jasper 45]

Fields, save your breath, brother. The two twinks who are slamming your guys make it a habit to hang guys with virtually no information available, certainly nothing official.
They never take into account equipment malfunctions, or other intangibles that are very possible in an accident, such as this.

The facts in a case like this have no bearing on their opinions, as they would much rather use a security camera video, and then use that very limited video to fire someone.
These are guys that I do not want crawling down a hallway with me, not that they would ever ge into a burning building in the first place.


Please, let us know how your guys are, as well as the guys from E10.